Until 2024, there was a once daily train from Cluj Napoca to Budapest’s eastern station, Keleti, known officially as the EuroCity Transylvania. This train operated a slow, almost eight hour trip between the unofficial capital of Transylvania and the capital of Hungary via the city of Oradea – covering 400km in total.

In 2024, you could say the train has temporarily become even more of an endurance. How and why you ask? Well, the only way to travel by train between the two cities is to take a three hour circuitous route via Deva and Arad due to construction work taking place on the direct route resulting in a journey time of over eleven hours.

Romania is seeing much needed investment in its railway infrastructure and the axis from Cluj Napoca-Oradea-Episcopia Bihor (border station with Hungary) is a key project demonstrating this. The line is currently closed long term for track renewal, electrification and installment of the latest signalling (ERTMS) – promising to speed up journeys in the future.

The InterCity Claudiopolis, named after the name for Cluj in Latin, is the temporary new daytime train serving the two cities, typically departing at 08:45 from Cluj Napoca, arriving into Budapest Keleti at 18:50. There is also a couchette option running overnight.

Another factor contributing to a perceived endurance test is in the make-up of the train itself. Until recently, the InterCity Claudiopolis operated with just one carriage for the initial part of the journey! I must have been crazy to take this train, right?

As you’ll know if you’ve been following this blog for a while, I actively seek out long distance train trips, even if travelling by other means is faster. A full day of gazing out of the window, watching the changing landscape, in a comfortable seat is enough to make me happy and this trip was one I was really looking forward to.

I took the InterCity Claudiopolis in June 2024. Before I go into detail, here is the all important route map of the trip showing the new roundabout route between these major cities and the places en route.

I’m no stranger to riding on one carriage trains. Take a look at my trip from Dimitrovgrad, Serbia to Sofia, Bulgaria, where the one carriage was entirely justified for its demand. Will the InterCity Claudiopolis between two major cities be the same? Read on to find out!

Departure from Cluj Napoca

There’s plenty of nostalgia at Cluj Napoca station, which opened in 1870. One particular feature from the past is the station departure board in the main entrance hall. In 2024, this still uses split-flap displays! With electronic displays almost everywhere these days, it’s a rarity to find one. Every few seconds the board refreshes with satisfying clickety-clack as the board refreshes with the latest departures.

On the board was of course our upcoming departure, the IR 74 on platform 3 bound for Curtici – the Romanian border station with Hungary. For some reason Budapest wasn’t listed, probably due to the fact that the EuroCity Transylvania used to travel onwards to Vienna via Budapest so there was no need to have a dedicated Budapest flap!

Facilities wise, Cluj Napoca station offers the essentials. There is a booking office, left luggage lockers, toilets, a café and waiting areas. There is also a Carrefour supermarket close to the station, handy for stocking up on essential supplies for such a long trip!

Onboard the InterCity Claudiopolis

A few minutes later than scheduled, the InterCity Claudiopolis appeared on platform 3 with its almost comical one carriage, painted in the new blue and white colours of the MÁV-START (Hungarian Railways). This was coupled to a contrasting CFR (Romanian Railways) locomotive painted in a striking red livery. It’s nice to see a Romanian train wearing some colour amongst a mainly drab looking fleet. The locomotive and the carriage together looked marvellous in my opinion.

It’s not unusual to see MÁV-START carriages in Romania. Almost all of the international services from/to Transylvania are operated with carriages that belong to the Hungarians – something to do with historical ties to the region perhaps?

Another trip I took across the border with MÁV-START carriages was on the InterCity Corona sleeper train – do check out my travel report here if you haven’t already. A brilliant trip in the same region!

In June 2024, when I travelled on the InterCity Claudiopolis, only Second Class accommodation was available. The one carriage that was used did have some First Class compartments however these were declassified and operating as Second Class only. How did I know this? Well, I did originally book a First Class ticket but when it came to booking the reservation, I received a ‘sold out’ error on the MÁV-START website despite booking the day the train went on sale, two months in advance.

The day before I travelled, I was in Bucharest North staton and tried once more to make a First Class reservation with no luck – I could only obtain a Second Class one.

As it happened, on the day, me and my carriage companions with Second Class reservations were graced with a First Class compartment – and post-travel I was able to refund the difference of the ticket price, albeit minimal. Win!

The one carriage train was moderately full departing from Cluj Napoca. A couple of stations into the journey, the train filled up completely with every seat occupied. As it happened, almost all of the passengers were not travelling to Hungary, and instead, the city of Arad as this was one of the only trains connecting the two cities. The train was full for almost all of its time in Romania. Strangely enough, when it came to crossing the border there were only a handful of passengers. From the Hungarian border station, extra Second Class carriages were added to the consist.

I’m pleased to hear that of October 2024, the InterCity Claudiopolis has gained an official First Class carriage in addition to its Second Class carriage that will provide more capacity and increased comfort.

Second Class Accommodation

As mentioned on the InterCity Claudiopolis, the train carriage featured exclusively Second Class accommodation. On the day, however, a compartment carriage was provided with partly declassified First Class accommodation in four of the ten compartments. This afforded more legroom than the Second Class compartments and carpeted floors rather than vinyl. The seat moquette is also more subdued as you can see in the photos below!

At Simeria, the train did double in length as the portion from Braşov arrived and joined the portion from Cluj Napoca to run as one towards Budapest. On the day, the Brașov portion was formed of an open saloon carriage around tables of four again of the MÁV-START.

For either portion, it is a lottery whether there will be a compartment carriage or open saloon on the day. The good news though is that now there is officially First Class carriage added to the consist which is generally always compartment style.

First Class Accommodation

Although not in place on my train, a First Class carriage with compartments have been included in the consist on the InterCity Claudiopolis since October 2024. This features wider compartments, with nine instead of the usual ten per carriage, providing more legroom and higher seat comfort as per the pictures below from the same carriage on a different train. Good news for anyone seeking a higher guarantee of comfort.

Onboard Catering

Despite the long trip, the InterCity Claudiopolis doesn’t have any onboard catering facilities. There would be no goulash soup or letcho unfortunately on this journey – two staples to eat in a Hungarian Dining Car when they operate. Thankfully the supermarket in Cluj Napoca enabled me to stock up with breakfast, lunch and snacks before travel.

The train’s previous counterpart, the EuroCity Transylvania did operate with a Dining Car in 2023. Hopefully this will return following the track work to improve the onboard experience.

A break in Simeria

The train doubled in size with the arrival of the InterCity Făgăraș from Brașov that joined to our portion from Cluj Napoca at Simeria. Most passengers got off the train to stretch their legs and/or have a smoke. The stop is thirty-five minutes long which provided a useful opportunity to have a break.

Border Crossings

The InterCity Claudiopolis crosses the Romanian-Hungary border early in the afternoon in both directions. As is standard practice on European railways, there are two border controls, one on the Romanian side in the town of Curtici and another on the Hungarian side at Lőkösháza. Now Romania is part of the Schengen free travel area, expect the situation to change soon and the removal of border controls. For now though, at the time of writing, land borders remain in place with documents checked on both sides in both directions.

The locomotives were changed and some MÁV-START staff boarded to assess the state of the train before travelling into Hungary.

Hungarian commuter carriages are added in Lőkösháza increasing our one carriage train up to six carriages. Unlike the first part of the trip that really needed some extra capacity, these extra carriages don’t seem to be needed for the final stretch to Budapest.

Scenery Video / Showcase

Although the train travels around Transylvania, most of the cities including Braşov, Târgu Mureș and Sighișoara are situated on alternative railway routes. The route of the InterCity Claudiopolis is mainly countryside with rolling hills and a river valley.

Take a look at the scenery showcase video below of the best sights of the trip packed into fourteen minutes!

Arrival into Budapest Keleti

One of my favourite railway stations in Europe is the majestic, cathedral-like Budapest Keleti, or eastern, station dating back to the end of the 19th century. The train arrived under the main train shed, which is always a spectacular place to arrive.

Facilities at Budapest Keleti include a ticket office, ATMs, business class lounge, left luggage lockers and stalls to purchase food and drink. There are also nearby supermarkets.

Highlights in Budapest City

Budapest is one of my favourite cities to visit with an array of attractions and experiences to enjoy. Most attractions are situated around the river on both the Buda and Pest sides.

During my visits to Budapest, I recommend:

• Fisherman’s Bastion for views across the Danube
• Széchenyi Chain Bridge
• Széchenyi Thermal Bath
• Hungarian Parliament Building
• Shoes on the Danube Bank
• Keleti station
• Grab a Kürtőskalács, or chimney cake, at kiosks around the city

Booking and Fares

Being eastern Europe, the cost of tickets to travel on the InterCity Claudiopolis tends to be cheap and the price available is largely consistent no matter when you book them. There is some evidence of some dynamic pricing so do book as far in advance as you can.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from either the MÁV-START website or the CFR international website or locally at railway stations. Please note that only First Class tickets can be purchased on the MÁV-START website and not the CFR one.

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Conclusion

I really enjoyed my trip on the InterCity Claudiopolis from Cluj Napoca to Budapest. Eleven hours did feel a little intimidating for a direct daytime train, particularly with the knowledge of no catering facilities and limited capacity, however, the time passed by really quickly.

Yes, it was a little uncomfortable with the volume of passengers in Romania – the train desperately needs extra capacity within Romania, ideally with carriages provided by the Romanian Railways for the domestic markets, but it’s good that the Hungarian Railways are providing an additional carriage to meet some of the demand and guaranteed First Class provision.

The scenery was pleasant, particularly in Romania, and the seating comfortable. I highly recommend the InterCity Claudiopolis and viewing it as a relaxing ‘feet-up’ experience, taking a good book and plenty to eat and drink as I did. Yes, there are probably faster, more time effective methods to travel between the two cities, but for me this train wins hands down for overall comfort and experience.

This travel report was first published in October 2024.

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